HomeGroup makes your job easy to share pictures, music, documents, videos, and printers with other people on your home network. This article will show you how to create a homegroup in Windows 7.
Note
Computers must be running Windows 7 to participate in a homegroup. HomeGroup is available in all editions of Windows 7. In the Windows 7 Starter and Windows 7 Home Basic editions, you can join a homegroup, but you can’t create one.
If your computer belongs to a domain network, you can join a homegroup but you can't create one. You can access files and resources on other homegroup computers, but you can't share your own files and resources with the homegroup.
All computers that will be on the homegroup must have (be on) the same workgroup or domain name.
You can create or join a Homegroup with a virtual machine in Windows Virtual PC.
Warning
You will need to have these Services set as below. They are by default.
DNS Client - Started and Automatic
HomeGroup Listener - Started and Manual
HomeGroup Provider - Started and Manual
SSDP Discovery - Started and Manual
UPnP Device Host - Started and Manual
Function Discovery Provider Host - Started and Manual
Function Discovery Resource Publication - Started and Automatic
Network List Service - Started and Manual
Server - Started and Automatic
Here's How:
NOTE:
The homegroup created here as an example was done between a laptop (joined homegroup) with a wireless connection through a wireless router and a desktop (created homegroup in) connected to the same router's ethernet port via CAT6 cable.
1. Make sure that all computers that will be on the home network have the date and time in sync.
2. Make sure that the computer is set to have a home network location type. You will not be able to create a homegroup from any other network locations.
3. If you are using a wireless network through a wireless router, then check to make sure that WLAN Partition is disabled in the router's wireless settings. When it is enabled, it prevents associated wireless clients from communicating with each other.
4. Open the Control Panel (all items view), and click on the Network and Sharing Center icon.
A) Click on the Change adapter settings link.
B) Right click on your network connection adapter, and click on Properties. If prompted by UAC, then click on Yes. Make sure that the items below are checked, and click on OK. (see screenshot below)
File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks
Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6)
Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)
C) Click on the back arrow button (left arrow) in Network Connections to return to the Network and Sharing Center. (See screenshot above)
D) Click on the Change advanced sharing settings link.
E) Make sure that the Home or Work (current profile) settings are set as they are below for the ones pointed out with the red arrows, then click on save changes. If prompted by UAC, then click on Yes.
5. In the Network and Sharing Center, click on the Choose homegroup and sharing options link.
6. Click on the Create a homegroup button. (see screenshot below)
NOTE:
If a homegroup already exists (already created) on your home network, then Windows 7 will ask if you would like to Join Now instead of creating a new one.
7. Select (check) what libraries and printers that you want to share from this computer with any other computer that joins this homegroup, then click on Next. (see screenshot below)
8. Write down and/or print this password down. You will need to have and use this password to join a computer to this homegroup. Click on Finish. (See screenshot below)
NOTE: The password is case sensitive, so it will need to be typed exactly as it appears here when used to join a computer to the homegroup.
9. Close the HomeGroup window. (see screenshot below)
10. You will now need to add other computers to the homegroup by joining them so that you can access shared libraries and printers between them.
